Manufacturer: Coolibar - 2401 Edgewood Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55426 USA
Tel: 800-926-6509 Fax: 952-922-1455
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.coolibar.com
E-mail: service@coolibar.com.
Listed weight: not listed
Weight as delivered: 9 3/8 oz / 270 g
MSRP: $49.95 USD
Available Colors: Cobalt / White / Hibiscus / Teal / Kiwi / Mandarin
Color Requested: White
Color Received: White
Size Requested: XL
Size Received: XL
 

Field Test Locations and Conditions:

Testing of the Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie took place primarily in Southern California (at home in the San Gabriel Valley, a handful of beach trips in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, one trip to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains), and Salem, Oregon, during the months of August and September 2006.

The southern California region (and most of the western United States) typically has one to two "heat waves" (several consecutive days of higher than normal temperatures) over the summer months. This summer, however, our heat wave lasted much longer than is considered normal. For the remainder of the testing period, most days were warm to hot, sunny and cloudless. Lately cooler temperatures have encouraged the development of a thick marine layer (low clouds) which often persists until mid to late afternoon.

Field Test:

Most of the time it was really too hot to wear the Sun Block Hoodie during the day. I found that I got too warm while wearing the Hoodie in temperatures exceeding 70° F (21° C) with little to no wind. Thus, I tried to wear it as much as possible during the cool morning hours or late evening. In my Initial Report I posed several questions; I have listed them again below with my comments/findings.

• Features:
  • Size: At the moment, the size is a bit big. But is it too big? Um, yes. Perhaps it is because I am a plus size that the Hoodie just doesn't seem to fit me too well. I feel as if I am wearing my daddy's shirt. In addition, I seem to be in-between sizes: a large is too small, the extra large is too big. I need a large-and-a-half!
    
    
  • Elastic Cuffs: The cuffs are not adjustable. Will this be an issue? I thought this would be an issue, but it doesn't appear to be. The elastic is just snug enough to close about my wrists nicely, but expands enough so I can push the sleeves up to my elbows if desired.
    
    
  • "Deep pouch pocket": Will the seams along the edges of the pocket hold up well, or will they begin to separate with use? The pocket was used on numerous occasions to hold my car keys, my digital camera (which is old and weighs 13 oz / 370 g) and Julia's pebbles/sticks/other treasures she insists on bringing back with her on hikes. The most stress it was under was during our trip to Marina Park Beach, Ventura, and Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro (both in California). I collect beach sand to use to teach my students about the differences between every beach. Thus, I collected beach sand in quart-sized zip-top plastic bags from each locale (two from Marina Park Beach) and stuffed them in the pocket to carry back to the car. The sand-laden pocket did sag down and pull the rest of the front of the Hoodie down with it, which was uncomfortable, but did not distress the seams of the pocket in any way.
    
    
  • Hood: The drawstring is fairly simple. Will it hold up well to repeated use? Actually, I haven't used this feature. Yet!
    
    
• Fabric:
  • The lite SUNTECT™ fabric is supposedly machine washable. How well will it hold up in the washing machine? So far, so good. The Hoodie has been washed several times with no evidence of distress. The Hoodie has emerged from the dryer somewhat wrinkled on occasion. For future reference, though, puréed sweet potato does NOT wash out completely.
    
    
• How well will the fabric hold up to normal use and abuse? Can it handle trails, or will this item be an "in-town" only type of garment? Can it withstand a daypack or child backpack carrier? This is a feature that I plan to test in the next few months.
  
  
• The Hoodie certainly is lightweight, but is it breathable as advertised? Yes and no. In cool weather (less than 70° F / 21° C) the Hoodie is quite comfortable to wear. The mesh arm and back vents do a nice job of cooling me off while walking / hiking in cool weather. In warmer weather I found the Hoodie too warm to wear. The Sun Block Hoodie also does a nice job of wind blocking. While wearing the Hoodie during walks at Cabrillo Beach and Marina Park Beach, California, and Keizer, Oregon, I noticed that the fabric was able to block light breezes very well.
  
  
• The Hoodie is also touted as being quick-drying - how quick is quick? The only time the Hoodie got wet was in Keizer, Oregon. I wore it on a walk around my in-law's neighborhood during a light drizzle. The Hoodie got damp, but not truly wet. I hung it up to dry when I got back. Approximately 1/2 hour later, the Hoodie was dry.
  
  
• Will it really provide sun-protection above and beyond normal fabrics? This question is somewhat difficult to quantify. Did I get sunburned while wearing the Hoodie? No. Do I usually get sunburned while wearing lightweight shirts or jackets of a similar style to the Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie? No. Other than to go out and get a ultraviolet (UV) photograph done before and after wearing the Hoodie to determine if there is a significant increase in skin damage, I don't think I'm going to be able to easily answer this question.

Test Plan:

Now that the weather has cooled off I plan to spend more time in the Great Outdoors. Most of my activities will be around town, daytrips to our local mountains and maybe one more trip to the beach - elevations at these testing locations are similar to those reported at the beginning of this report. I shall continue to wear the Coolibar Sun Hat daily as I have for the previous couple of months. Temperatures over the next two months should be moderate to cool, ranging from 60 - 85° F (16 - 29° C) during the day and 40 - 50° F (4 - 10° C) at night. October is the month for Santa Ana winds to kick up, so daytime temperatures could get up above 100° F (38° C). Weak El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean has lead NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) to predict that the southern United States may receive 33 - 40% more precipitation than "normal" Thus I may have the opportunity to test the Hoodie in rain!